-Been There, Done That.-If I Can Survive Anywhere, I Can Survive Here.-I'm Sorry, That's Classified.-The Strong Defend The Weak.-I Don't Need No Steenking Infrastructure.-You Can Run, But You Can't Hide.-It Only Takes One Perfect Shot.-There's What You're Supposed To Do, And Then There's What's Right.-Demon Mark

Name: Nathan Snow.

First Phase: Nathan (Nate for short), was born to a life of adventure. His parents were a pair of fairly well known international photographers and reporters who worked for National Geographic. Always on the move, they brought Nate along with them wherever they went, where he learned from some of the best survivalists, hunters, and masters of primitive skills in the world first hand, in their natural environment.

Aspects:-Been There, Done That.-If I Can Survive Anywhere, I Can Survive Here.

Second Phase: Traveling with his parents, Nate visited some sketchy places, including the odd war zone (only when he was older), and seeing what one person could do to another inspired him to join the military to try and protect others. Within five years he was part of a multinational group of special-forces that didn't officially exist, going where others wouldn't, and doing what others couldn't, all in the name of peace and stability. Returning from an operation, he learned that his parents had been killed just a few scant kilometers from where he had been. The helicopter had passed right over the firefight where they had died on the way back, and his superiors had said nothing when he was in a position to help those he cared about most. Stricken with grief and blaming his superiors, he resigned on the spot.

Aspects:-I'm Sorry, That's Classified.-The Strong Defend The Weak.

Third Phase: Unemployed and without purpose, Nate fell back on his drifting ways, relying on his extensive survival skills to keep food in his belly and the elements at bay. That is, until he got an email from an old friend from his unit, Alex. In short, Alex had stumbled on something big, and was in trouble, possibly dead, and in hiding if not. Someone had decided to try and establish a new world order, which was nothing new in and of itself, but this time they were awfully close to succeeding. At the core of it was a group that had Imaginatively decided to call itself The Order. Drawing inspiration from all sorts of secret societies real or fictional throughout history, they steeped themselves in the arcane and the occult. It would have been hilarious if it weren't for all the powerful names on the member list. With that list of names and a purpose once more, Nate set out. Evidence was found, and people in positions of power free from the Order's grasp made aware of it. Sanctums were raided, Secret meetings broken up, and occasionally people were dealt with in a very professional and permanent manner. At the end of it all, the Order was no more, and Nate was once again without purpose. Having traveled all the world over, he decided that it was time for a change, time to seek a new horizon. And so, leaving letters to people he could trust to guard against the return of The Order, Nate signed up for the Colony Ship Project, and left to drift among the stars.

Aspects:-I Don't Need No Steenking Infrastructure.-You Can Run, But You Can't Hide.

Guest Starring!

Arkady Sergeyovich Fedorenko: While "not" visiting the Ukraine to do something that never happened, Nate found himself witness to a rather messy ambush that looked like it might turn south for the good guys. Being a decent sort, Nate decided to do what he could to help out, but knew he could only get off one shot without getting in trouble with his superiors, by blaming it on an accidental discharge. Taking his time, He lined up his shot on the heavy machine-gunner who had somehow gotten into a partially collapsed building and was the cause of most of the trouble. Took his time to line up one perfect shot. Boom. The gunshot came as a surprise, as it should, and the round seemed to almost leisurely wander away, taking it's time, just as Nate had, before finding itself unerringly at it's mark. Before Control could ask anything, Nate was already on the radio. "Sorry, everything's alright. Just had to muffle a sneeze, and the hair-trigger on my rifle went off."...."Understood, proceed with Mission. Control out."

Aspects:-It Only Takes One Perfect Shot.-There's What You're Supposed To Do, And Then There's What's Right.

Aspect: Demon Mark: There would seem to be more to the burn left by the Damork possessing Nate then meets the eye...

Colonial Environmental ManagerRambunctious Knave I'll Do Anything For The ColonyPride Comes Before the FallEntrepreneurial StreakLaser FocusGambler's Luck/Fortune RouletteI'm gonna Science the Science outta thatUprooted Family TreeBuilding Up the Big GunsLook Before You Leap

Sidekick: Theresa Baker

Scope: +2 (Physical/Social/Mental) (No further Scope advances can be taken)Quality: +3 (+4 on rolls) (No further Quality advances can be taken)Skilled: +3 on Piloting, +3 on Drive

High Concept:Colonial Environmental ManagerFelix is a civilian engineer with expertise in the fields of environmental management and mechanical engineering. He specializes in heat management. Keeping cool the areas that need to be cool and keeping warm the areas that need to be warm. That's a tough job in space with a great many cryogenically frozen passengers, and it'll be even tougher when they make planetfall and need to start building habitats that have to withstand local conditions.

Trouble:I'll Do Anything for the ColonyIt's a dangerous world out there. Felix has seen first hand the sort of violence and destruction that can be wrought by man, beast, and demon alike. Schemers after the throne consorting with genocidal lunatics. Madmen commanding hordes of fanatics. Magical beasts. Demons that can summon tornadoes and throw some of the most devastating lightning blasts Felix has ever seen. More ordinary threats in the form of pickpockets, highwaymen, and bandit kings who are more than willing to kill to make ends meet. Felix has had enough of it. He burns with something resembling patriotic fervor, and will do anything if it means surmounting the odds and seeing his colony come out on top.

Rambunctious KnaveA joyful and rowdy man, Felix is not above certain kinds of shady enterprise. Whether it be trading in various contraband or setting up an illicit gambling stall, Felix doesn't mind dipping his hand into things that might get him into trouble. With a laugh and a smile he dives headlong into things that could cause him quite a bit of grief if he gets caught. Sometimes to help a friend. Sometimes to make a buck. Sometimes just for the sheer fun of it.

Aspect:Pride Comes Before the FallNothing angers Felix more than someone with an undeserved chip on their shoulder. Someone with a position of power, real or imagined, and they're using it to look down on those who have less power? Someone who abuses their power just to make other people miserable or gloat over them? Felix greatly relishes watching such people fall and it won't take much convincing to get him in on a trick that'll make a smug jackass look the fool.

Aspect:Entrepreneurial StreakOne of Felix's passing hobbies is the study of economics and the value of goods. He comes from a family of business owners and stockbrokers, and a lot of their predilections rubbed off on him. Pretty useless for a colonist, but that doesn't mean that Felix doesn't exercise his skills in his off time. If you need it and are willing to pay or barter for it, he might know a guy that can get it for you. For a finder's fee, of course. Cigarettes, extra dessert rations, posters for your room, he's the guy to go to.

Aspect:Laser FocusFelix is someone that can focus. Once we puts his mind behind something he can see it through to the end with nothing more than his raw determination and ability to zero in on his objectives with a focus that's laser-like in its precision. Unfortunately, this means he's also prone to tunnel vision. Once he starts to focus on something it can blind him to other things that need doing. If someone earns his ire in combat he might focus on them exclusively, ignoring more opportune targets or leaving him open to attacks from other opponents he's not paying attention to.

I'm gonna Science the Science outta thatFelix is a rather inquisitive sort. A fair hand at building contraptions and applying scientific theory, Felix has a sharp intellect. When he sees something that puzzles him, he'll want to sink his teeth into it. Tear it apart and figure out what makes it tick. What makes it function. He just can't help himself. This can backfire if he gets distracted by his tinkering when he has more pressing things to do, or if he takes apart something he shouldn't have and can't figure out how to put it back together. The potential to learn something fascinating can also be used to tempt him into doing things he might not otherwise do.

Guest Star Adventure w/ Nathan Snow (balthazar):Fortune RouletteEveryone else in the world is pretty average, all things considered. Their days are average, their lives are average, and the events that play in between start and finish are most decidedly average. Felix's life is average, too. Though maybe it's better to say that it rounds out to about average. The course of his life is punctuated with many highs and many lows. A great many tales of vast fortune, lucky breaks, and splendid recoveries can often be found to begin or end with a disastrous turn of events.(This is a guest story with Nathan Snow. I've not written it up yet but the overall theme is of luck in dealing with The Order. Bad luck that cause things to spiral out of control and good luck that ties everything neatly by the story's end. I'll add it here once I've written it)

Uprooted Family Tree

Felix False was from a respectable and wealthy family that used its wealth for a great many philanthropic endeavors. Their efforts stood in opposition to a number of organizations of ill repute, who retaliated by hiring the notorious assassin Nicholas Blackwell. A demolitions expert and former soldier turned mercenary, Blackwell used his explosives training and military skills for profit. Skills that Felix's family didn't survive, and which he barely survived.

After a long and arduous pursuit, Felix was finally able to exact revenge against Nicholas Blackwell by turning his own explosives against him with help from the bomber's very own sister, Catherine Blackwell, causing the building he was in to collapse upon him. After having finished his years long plan of revenge, Felix found himself wanting and without purpose. His family was gone and he had no hopes or aspirations left in this world. Seeing that there was a colony ship bound for new worlds, he figured it was worth a shot. The various engineering degrees he'd earned while studying on his family's dime ensured him a spot on the ship and the rest is history.

Building Up the Big GunsFelix has spent enough time out and about in the surrounding lands to have an idea of what sorts of dangers await them. The Damork, in particular, gave him significant pause. He's become even more fervent in his desire to protect that colony and his people from enemy forces. He has gained an interest in building the weapons needed to bring them down.

Look Before You LeapFelix recently went into a situation without sufficient knowledge and inadvertently caused a minor social faux pas (causing Aramsham to decide to march his armies). He's become more cautious overall (some might say paranoid) and is more likely to try and gain more knowledge going forward even if it costs vital time he doesn't have.

Stunts:PsychicArtificerCold ReadHeart's SecretWalking LibrarySkeptic's Ear (always knows when Deceit is being used on him)

The son of a pair of machinists from Rostov na Don, Arkady received a technical education and went to work at the repair shops of the regional electrical train system. Showing considerable talent at machining, he was taken under the wing of an aging tool and die maker supplementing his pension by working part time off the books, and taught the proper way to fabricate and assemble the various mechanical and electrical parts needed for the work. This quickly led to lucrative work off the books of his own, making tools and parts for various shops and helping out at small repair businesses. It also led to a strong contempt for the post-soviet era off the shelf components available in Rostov and a lot of the folks who used them; leaving him with a marked tendency to simply do everything from soup to nuts himself.

Aspect: If you want something done, do it yourself; Scratch a Slav, find a peasant

After a few years of this, he got swept up into the Civil War between the Ukrainians and the Moscow backed Russians. He fought for Ukraine for a bit over a year, and became moderately good at the niceties of killing the other chaps before they killed you; but after a rather messy ambush (which he was on the right side of) the whole thing became too much for him. He was sidelined for a few weeks with shell shock, and came out of it with a strong distaste for killing which got him put in a medic post for the remainder of the fighting. He overcame his reluctance only once, destroying a Russian armored personnel carrier with an RPG to protect a wounded civilian.

Aspect: Defensive pacifist, I Can Too Farm With Explosives.

While serving as a medic he found himself becoming more pious; finding considerable comfort in his mother's Ukrainian Catholicism when things got messy. Once the fighting died down he left the service, married his pre-war girlfriend, and took considerable comfort in the Church as he got back to work and tried to put his experiences behind him.Almost a year later, chatting with a couple of other veterans about their problems, he decided that he should help others find this comfort. So with his wife's blessing he entered the seminary, and after several years of making good the shortcomings of his formal education and mastering his new calling (all while working part time off the books for the needed funds) he was duly ordained a priest. He was assigned to a parish near his native Rostov, and moved there with his wife.Two years later, a well regarded parish priest, Arkady noticed an article in the paper about how many Ukrainians were going to be on the new starship. He and his wife Irina (not yet blessed with children) decided that the twin appeals of ensuring that the holy sacraments were available to those colonists, and of having a family someplace with a better future than Rostov, outweighed the risks involved. Arkady sent a request up through the hierarchy to be assigned to that post; and slightly to his surprise was informed a month later that he should consider himself so assigned and report to Kiev as soon as practical for further training.

Aspects: Married, Church With Many Doors

Guest Star (Felix):

Three years gone by, and Arkady was ready to be a colonist. Most of his training had taken place with his fellow colonists; but not all. He spent a year in Rome studying as well; and was summoned to a meeting in the Vatican to discuss his progress.The trip across Vatican City was uneventful; it wasn't until he was making his way down one of the working halls of the Vatican itself when cursing in Italian coming from behind a door made him realize something was wrong. As he identified the door as a bathroom, and saw water coming out from underneath, he considered the cursing explained. Sighing, he stepped through to see if he was needed.Inside he saw a local in the coveralls of a Roman plumbing company, by his age clearly just an apprentice; and an obvious tourist who was in the room when the accident happened now firmly moving said apprentice out of the way of a newly ruptured pipe under a sink. Arkady, who knew where the water shutoff was, quickly stepped in to stop the flood; then pitched in to help the English speaking tourist fend off the obviously overwrought Italian while repairs could be made in spite of him.Even Arkady was impressed by the speed with which the visitor (American?) fixed the problem; adjusting a new length of pipe and fitting it in place of the old one in very little time indeed. As they then turned to deal with the Italian, they heard the door open and saw several men standing outside...one in a preposterous 16th century guards outfit, two in black, and one of them all in white. They took in the scene, then the man in white shook his head and addressed the two non-Italians."Gentlemen, I'm sure the local Plumber's Union will be grateful that you assisted this young man. Now please tell me who you are?" The two men glanced at each other, and the American responded "Felix False. Are you..." Arkady sighed and answered "Father Federenko, your Holiness."The Pope smiled slightly at that and said "Father, under the circumstances, our meeting can be delayed for a few minutes. In truth, I would rather become a plumber than a bishop myself; but it's too late for that." Addressing himself to Felix, he says "Thank you for keeping my office from flooding, Mr False. Please, go with my aide;" he indicates one of the men in black "and we can see about finding you some dry clothes, and perhaps something decent for lunch. And now, if you will excuse me..." With that, and a glance at the local plumber, the Pope strides off to his next task while said apprentice cycles between several unattractive shades of pale.Felix finds himself dried off, fed a fantastic lunch of Roman specialties, and given a tour of some of the Vatican treasures normally not given to casual tourists before being granted a solitary audience with the Pope. After a brief chat, his Holiness blesses him; which is memorialized in a certificate (presented by the aide) explaining the limits of said blessing. The usual time limits are, for obvious reasons, waived.Arkady, well, the surprise of the upcoming meeting was already out of the bag; Arkady was to be one of the two Eastern rite Catholic priests elevated to ecclesiastical rank. Or it would have been, if his Holiness hadn't also explained that the soon to be His Grace, the Bishop Federenko, was also going to be given some rather intensive training in exorcism. "Yes, Father, it's normally given to older priests; those more...nearly ready to meet my predecessor. But there will be no elderly priests among the colonists; and even if you are never called on to use this training, you will be able to impart it to your successors. Perhaps (and here he grins slightly) even your descendents."

Aspects: Defender of the (Eastern rite Catholic) Faith (Bishop), and I'm supposed to cast out Satan? God Help Me!(exorcist)

Deep in the castle of Castle Radun, Arkady met a demon; a creature of smoke and fire, immune to normal weapons. Between his exorcism and the spell-strengthened swords of two Pandion Knights - one of whom did not survive the battle - the creature was defeated.

Aspect: Get thee behind me

The local supernatural is somehow familiar even if he doesn't know the details. He tends to elide penalties for unfamiliarity in the field and learn much faster when taught, especially if texts are available (where it would feed into Living Library). It would also mean he could be prodded into reactions based on details he doesn't quite know, at least not consciously.

Luo Jie "Roger" Wong is the son of immigrants from Hong Kong. While speaking Cantonese at home, his parents were delighted when Roger showed an aptitude for English. He was your typical gifted youth in that he found normal schooling incredibly boring and was thus an under achiever growing up despite being intensely inquisitive. His parents became so distraught over his perceived lack of discipline that they shipped him off to a prestigious military academy. Roger naturally loathed every second he spent there. He did however keep up a fairly strict fitness routine to keep in shape.

Aspects: Curiosity Killed the Cat. Don't Tell Me What to Do.

At University, Roger discovered his passion for languages both human and computer, double majoring in linguistics and computer science. His thirst for knowledge drove him to become a competent hacker as well and it wasn't long at all before he was studying Russian and Mandarin-- essential languages in the world of hacking. Roger's favorite targets were evil multinational corporations to expose embarrassing and incriminating information (and he wasn't above making a quick buck in the stock market using such information, either). While believing in an individuals right to privacy, Roger feels that corporations and the government should not be allowed to keep secrets from the people.

Aspects: All Information Should Be Free, Hypocrite.

Unfortunately for Roger, his criminal activities caught up with him. Being VERY good at covering his tracks digitally, he was less discretionary when it came to personal relationships and ended up bragging about his exploits to an undercover FBI officer and went to prison for six years for insider trading. To add insult to injury his parents died tragically in a car accident while he was in prison. After getting out he swore he would no longer dishonor his parent's memory and use his abilities for good.

Aspects: Hacker. Sucker for a Pretty face.

Owing to his parent's wanting him to be a doctor, Roger found a worthy medical student and paid off all of her debts anonymously (Guest Starring Dr. Vanderbilt)

Aspects: Robin Hood complex. Secretive.

Enter The Order. An international conspiracy dedicated to enslaving human kind. While there were those waging a physical war against the Order, Roger made sure that there was no safe digital haven for the Order. Once the Order had been taken down, and with his parents being his only tie to this world, Roger volunteered to be a colonist on the Pandora. Guest Starring Nathan Snow.

Aspects: Nothing left for me here. Looking for Adventure.

Aspect: Never Again: Roger feels he didn't avail the group as much as he could have during the fight at the harbor and vows that next time he will do better. He begins practicing shooting at a fire range.

By the way, Kajin, looking over your sheet, I noticed that your companion still has room for one extra Improvement. It can't go in Quality, or Scope - those are both full up - but there are a few other Improvements that can be taken.

Take a look here and pick out whatever you'd like. (I recommend either Independent - to allow her to act on her own - or Skilled, but it's entirely up to you.)

Piper is hiding something. And this just in: hydrogen fusion is exothermic.

Speaking of which. Fusion being unsuitable for a power source during the trip doesn't make it unsuitable for a power source once the colony arrives and can undertake routine maintenance. Is there a fusion plant in mothballs in storage somewhere? It would certainly be a lot easier for us to find fuel for one whatever our new home looks like than to find a reliable source of fissionables or surplus oxygen.

Doesn't fusion power need a fairly significant amount of energy to switch on? So, even if there was a fusion plant mothballed somewhere (I'm not saying there isn't, mind you) between the current fairly low energy requirements of the colonists, and the necessity of triple-checking every part of the plant before it gets turned on (because you do not want an equipment failure releasing super-hot plasma all over everything), I'm not sure it would be useful to turn on at the moment.

Also, yeah, what Kajin said - Felix is also pinging on Arkady's new Sceptic's Ear.

Probably take a month or two to grow the needed organs, longer if we need to grow sufficient biomass from a small DNA sample first, like from a hair follicle, provided it can be done at all. We might need to either ask Piper if she can get a decent sample, or risk waking the queen without replacement organs on hand and have her on life support until we can grow them.

I think all we'll need is a vat of stem cells. Scientists have been working on 3D printing organs. It wouldn't be too far fetched to say we have tech like that. Might be prototypes of early processes but we have access to the best Earth had to offer. They could have sent it with us.

You can always take more time to be more ready. The current status of Dr. Vanderbilt's cure is that it is in the early stages of research; given enough food, the necessary scientists and technicians could be woken up tomorrow, given a week to acclimatise, and then the necessary equipment can be transferred over to the throne room. Some slight renovations to the Palace (knocking down a wall or two) might be necessary to fit all the equipment in, and someone is going to need to prevent the Primate or one of his lackeys from giving said equipment a few good whacks with a sledgehammer. Growing the replacement organs will take a while, and taking the Queen out of the crystal to hook her up to machines before that will carry a certain amount of risk - the crystal that she's in will sustain her, while hooking her up to a heart-lung machine might sustain her.

It also depends somewhat exactly how bad the damage was before she was stuck in that crystal, and exactly what (if any) side-effects the crystal itself might have. Worst-case scenario, the Queen might have only minutes to live once the crystal goes down - in which case only a very high Science roll has any chance of keeping her alive.

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